Monday, August 27, 2012

Even the best laid plans go awry, and my plans for this week will have to wait until next week. I'm actually going to take the entire week off from blogging and hope you'll poke around the archives to see what I've written in the past. So the big book giveaway will be next week!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Bead Soup Blog Party®
has gotten so large over the years that I've had to split it into three
reveal dates and change it from a twice yearly event to a once-a-year
affair. If you've never participated before, you can read about it by clicking here, and keep your eyes open for the announcement of the new 2013 date, which will be in the Jan/Feb time frame. To
give you an idea of how many people are in this particular Bead Soup
Blog Party,
click here to see the maps split out in detail.

Now
without further ado, let me introduce you to my partner and the beads
she sent me. My partner for the 3rd reveal is Cece Cormier, otherwise
known as The Beading Yogini. I've always admired her micro-macrame abilities and her unique findings. She's also a lampwork artist, among other things!

And the biggest challenge -- thread to macrame with! I've always admired micro-macrame and have had the book "Mod Knots" for quite a while, so I knew that at the very least, I was going to try my hand at this new art form.

This,
however, is an art form I'm really going to have to work on further,
because I am one of those people that needs to SEE things being done and have
my hand held. I've said in the past I'm the student in class who always
has that deer-in-the-headlights look, and I definitely want to learn
more because knotting and weaving reminds me of those comforting days of knitting
before Zack was born.

ANYWAY.
When things don't quite work out as planned, I call them "organic".
Nice spin, right? From Cece's stash, I took the lampwork bead and used
the toggle as the top of the pendant. The pendant is a seed-beaded net
with little pewter flowers attached.

The
necklace portion uses the rose quartz beads Cece sent and more of the
seed beads and flowers. This part is basic overhand knotting. I didn't
make tight knots on the seed bead triplets, leaving instead a little
room for the beads to have space to breath and slide -- airy to match up with the net pendant. Everything
connects with the toggle at the pendant top.

I like it -- a sort of fairytale mermaid net.

Next, I took a couple of the cloisonne beads Cece sent and some vintage blue
beads I had and made a simple pair of
earrings. I love this style because I adore dangles and clusters. It
makes simple turn into splendid, don't you think? You'll notice I used
heavy gauge wire for the cloisonne, but 24-gauge for the blue beads. I
also used brighter brass for both the ear wires and the clusters. I
like the subtle mix of shading. Little touches can make a big
difference.

Next,
I took a right turn at "classic" and pulled in with a screeching
wheelie halt at "whimsical". I used the cute bright pink ovals Cece
sent and some awesome beads from Yvonne of My Elements and made some seriously Lori-style earrings. LOVE these!

Cece's
package was wrapped in absolutely amazing paper. Unwrapped completely,
it's in the shape of a kimono, so I'm going to hang one of the pages on
my wall. The paper was so cool I really wanted to incorporate it into a
piece of jewelry. Asian things have a special place in my heart
because of my travels in Korea and Japan. So out came the resin!

I used two pieces from the wrapping paper, a faux Asian coin, and a bezel from Nunn Design and used my very new resin skills. This time I followed instructions from the book "Explore, Create, Resinate"
and sealed the paper with packing tape, and then touched up the edges
with Modge Podge. I'm going to add another layer of resin in a few days
to dome it up nicely, but I am tickled with how this turned out!

Now
a switch from pretty pink to rustic raku. I loved the raku ceramic nuggets
Cece sent and I have to admit, the end product is NOTHING like what I'd planned -- and I LOVE how it turned out. Sometimes it's good to let go
of the blueprint and just let your mind wander and have its own way.

I
made tiny bronze love knots (three jump rings linked together) to act
as spacers between the raku beads and seed beads I received and then
strung them on heavy-gauge copper wire. The moment of truth came when
it was time to twist and coil that wire -- I had no plan. I had drawn
nothing out. I just winged it. And I love the result. (Boy, did I get lucky!)

I
added some texture by wrapping 22-gauge wire around parts of the
16-gauge, but I decided not to hammer anything because I didn't want to
compete with the raku beads. What do you think? The right decision?

Switching
back to pink, I picked the rose quartz flower focal and picked up the
thread again to try macrame once again. Before I started this project, I
only knew one macrame stitch, and just learned this one, the basic square knot. It's
sturdy -- so sturdy I decided to make a key chain.

I used the briolettes from Cece's soup along with the focal to make (what I think) is a feminine and flirty key chain. Like?

And
now my last piece. The paper-covered wood beads are chunky but
lightweight, and the Lucite bell flowers are also light as air. You
know my love of dangles and clusters, so I trotted that skill set out
again and used the seed beads and pale green acrylic beads from her
stash to make tons of charms. The top of the necklace is made with
translucent pink beads from Cece and pewter flowers from my own stash.

Once again, I mixed my metals, using silver even though the green beads have a gold crackle effect. I think if I'd used all gold, the necklace would have been too formal and not as sweet.

I'd used the clasp Cece sent in my first necklace, so decided to go for a fancy lobster claw I just got from Etsy.
I really love those pewter flower charms I have, so I added a few of
those around the back of the necklace to give it a little texture and
continue the flower theme.

So
there you have it! My bead soup creations for the third and final reveal! Below
is what I sent to Cece, and I can't wait to see what she made.

This
is the largest reveal of the Bead Soup Blog Party, and the last one for
the year, so I hope you'll take some time to look around and comment on
all the talent out there! You can visit my partner at http://www.thebeadingyogini.com. The rest of the participants are below.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

This weekend is the Bead Soup Blog Party but I'm already planning for next week! Next week, I'll be reviewing EIGHT Lark books and then will be giving them away! You never know what day I'll be giving away which books, so keep your eyes peeled. There are books on seed beading, crystals, casting, metal, and more!

I'm also going to be announcing sales some bead artists are having for next weekend, so you won't want to miss that, either.

After that? I just might pass out and take to writing some silly stuff. Would that be OK with y'all?

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

This Saturday is the final installment of the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party. I can't believe how many people joined in this time, and am already looking forward to the Jan/Feb time frame for the next one! Just in case you missed it, I am ONLY going to be having this party once a year from now on, so I do hope to see you in Jan/Feb.

In addition to the traditional blog hop, Kalmbach, my publisher, is launching the book with a Facebook Bead Soup hop. Multiple bead shops are donating their beads for you to work with, and on a certain date, you'll post on Facebook. Want to learn more? Click here to sign up, and visit https://www.facebook.com/KalmbachJewelryBooks to keep up with the various soups!

I still have some books left for sale (over on the right side bar there) which included three free tutorials unavailable to anyone else, and it includes shipping to the US! International orders will be billed a 7.50 charge to cover Priority Mail.

As for this weekend's soup -- I've been really pushing myself! I've played with copper, torn apart about three macrame creations (I need to see someone actually DO the stitch rather than read it) but I've ended up with some unique things. I'm not done, but I'm on my way!

If you'd like to know more about the Bead Soup Blog party, click here.

Monday, August 20, 2012

This weekend, my oldest step-son moved to North Carolina. Since my back is crap and I would have been useless, we planned on my staying home. But wait! Isn't BeadFest the same weekend?

Why, yes. Yes, it is.

So with a very limited budget and a full tank of gas in the Punch Buggy, we headed towards Philly on Friday.

(sari silk)

Attending a bead show, a craft show, or an antique mall with a kidlet can be a recipe for disaster or an exercise in futility if you aren't prepared. I had no expectations for this show -- I didn't NEED anything -- and I really just wanted to spend some quality time with my son. Zack loves going through my beads and he likes to shop, but I'm also not entirely stupid, so there had to be a plan.

#1 -- I wrote down the numbers of the vendors I HAD to see. Most were friends I wanted to say hello to, some were just for massive longing (ie, the Fretz hammers.....oh my!) but I knew I wouldn't have a chance to see everything.

(Zack was impressed that I knew not only the names for all the colors without looking at the tags, but that I also have almost every color he named. I used to run massive crystal bulk buys years ago, so I don't think I've met a crystal I didn't like!)

#2 -- I packed snacks and a card game. Zack and I would walk an aisle, then go to the concession stand and play Monopoly Deal. Someone walked to us and said, "That's a good mom!" and I said, "No, that's a good KID!".

The favorite "peanut butter spoon".

#3 -- I planned on spending what money I had on him. And boy did Zack have good taste. He came out with some amazing lampwork beads (a mermaid and a dragon, to name a few). He takes care of his treasures, too, with a bookshelf just for these special finds.

(Shoe beads Zack claimed from the 5th Bead Soup Blog Party.)

#4 -- Know when it's time to go. Friday, Zack determined that, and we went to dinner and then a swim in the hotel pool before a long night of digging through our beads and playing cards.

What was wonderful was not only spending time with my son, but sharing him with friends who've met him on this blog. The list of people we met is so long I'm terrified of forgetting someone, so rather than list you all out, let me tell you all -- it was fabulous to see you, I loved your amazing work (what you were selling, what you were wearing -- wow!), and I appreciated so much how kind you were to the Zack-man. There will be lots of thank you notes heading out the door this week!

Unfortunately, Zack and I had to leave early on Saturday (my back started going out and it's still out, along with a killer migraine to keep it company -- I can hardly see while I'm typing this) so I missed the bead swap, but I did get my beads to the hostess so I hope my partner liked what Zack and I picked out! OH! And fun factoid: I'll bet I was the only person walking around the show on Friday with a vintage toy typewriter! (Thank you, Cynthia!!!!).

Now I'm fighting pinched back nerves and a migraine and deadlines but I'm happy! You have to take the happiness when it comes your way and embrace it and then, when you're stuck in bed with an ice pack over your eyes, you have wonderful things to remember.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

and a lesson in making lemonade out of the lemons you're sometimes handed.

I have a lampwork studio, yes. But that doesn't mean I have lampwork talent or skills. Or time. Because it takes TIME to get good at this glass art stuff. Molten glass, crazy-hot torch, hot kiln, summer heat -- it seems like the only time I have that's comfortable to work on lampworking is when its time to ramp up the jewelry making for holiday shows. And once those are over, it's freezing and the rods of glass get hot, then shatter when I take them out of the heat into the winter air.

So you see where I'm going -- I'm not good as this lampworking stuff.

But I like it! And when I DO get to go out to the studio, the zen of staring at that glass, the colors all over the place, the mystery of what's behind Kiln Door #1. All of that is really cool, and the fact that I'm not a wizard at glass yet, and may never be, is perfectly fine with me because I get something out of it.

Sometimes, lots of times, actually, I make wonky beads and KNOW I can't that hole perfect or the shape just right but I don't dump it in the water bucket to shatter into oblivion and start over. Sometimes I take a bead that is really pretty, but I KNOW it's going to be a mistake, and I keep working it. I play, I add this, try a new technique, knowing all the while it's destined for the Bowl of Boo-Boos.

Then there are the DOUBLE boo-boos -- a bead that I can't get off the mandrel, no matter WHAT tricks I try (and I've tried about 4,591,233 of them). When the bead is a wonky one, that's OK, but boy does it hurt if I made a good one and it's STUCK.

This year, Heather is hosting the weekend retreat again, with "Into the Woods" as the theme. And what better place for a forest-themed retreat than in a
woodland lodge next to the scenic
Black River in South Haven, Michigan?

From October 26-28, consider spending three days creating jewelry and exploring a variety of techniques.
You'll create pendants from resin with treasures found on the forest floor
using a new patina system. You'll whip up felted and bead-embroidered leaves in
autumn-inspired hues. And finally, you'll spend a day sketching with a hammer onto metal
blanks to create birch bark, Queen Anne's lace and pine bough
components. Guest Instructor Erin Prais-Hintz will lead students through design principles to breathe new life old jewelry.

Heather has promised a relaxing, informative, and creative retreat, soaking in the color and sights of autumn as you unwind. The rustic
woodland surroundings will be your backdrop as you delve into your creative
journey. I wish I could attend the retreat, so you'll have to go and tell me all about it!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

I had the awesome pleasure of working with D'Arsie Manzella of Mamacita Beadworks to create customized jewelry tags for some of my more special pieces of jewelry. I had always wanted to have jewelry tags, but I didn't like the kind you stamped. I wanted something truly unique and original and custom designed, and D'Arsie made the wish come true.

First, I had to come up with a design. Brick wall. So I emailed D'Arsie my web site and asked her if she had any suggestions. Lickety split (I'm not kidding) she sent me these drawings: